


The Sky Is Bright Blue

by Jay_Stranger, LilaClever



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Ballroom Dancing, Cuddles, Diamond Bois, Fluff and Angst, Gay, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, More slowburn than you think, Romance, Stevencest but actually not really, but really fluff, gay panicking, so incredibly gay, super gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:01:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24124045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jay_Stranger/pseuds/Jay_Stranger, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilaClever/pseuds/LilaClever
Summary: AU. Son of Blue Diamond, Jean Universe, works on Homeworld to save planet Earth, but makes an unexpected discovery as to the identity of the mysterious White Diamond. Of course, however, even in the face of new love, old baggage doesn't exactly get erased.Reformatted into a fic from a roleplay.
Relationships: OC & Blue Pearl, OC & Pink Pearl, OC/OC
Kudos: 5





	1. The Hybrid Ball

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to gay.
> 
> ...Alternatively titled "My Boss Is My Boyfriend".
> 
> Like mentioned in the summary, this is adapted from a roleplay. Just some toothrotting hurt/comfort softness. It will be ongoing along with our roleplay.  
> If you want to see artwork related to this ship, check out our blog brightbluesau on Tumblr!
> 
> Hope you enjoy as much as we did making it!

Jean had been working by running gem colonies for months now. After the blue diamond hybrid was met with by Rose Quartz and the Crystal Gems on Earth, the tall man had been introduced to a whole new world connected to his gem heritage that he had hardly known. The Crystal Gems had told him that the Earth was threatened by the impending destruction from the Cluster. They had said _only Jean_ , as both a human and a diamond, could serve as a diplomat across the galaxy, and soon enough an unexpected deal had been stricken between him and White and Yellow Diamond: He would take up Blue Diamond’s abandoned duties on Homeworld, and then they would work to stop the Cluster from emerging together.

The blue hybrid admittedly didn’t have anything to go back home to. And yet every day of work on Homeworld, he eagerly looked forward to the day he would get to go back home and stay home for good. Disregarding the fact that after he had finished high school, the hybrid had spent the next two or three years being a drain to his father’s (admittedly very full) pocket, laying around all day, thinking of the day he would finally disappear… He missed Earth. And oddly enough, it was nice having the goal of returning to his normal life to get him up every day. The normally agitated hybrid was actually upbeat the day he had finally stopped the cluster with Yellow Diamond’s help. He could go home.

And then… Rose Quartz contacted him again with yet another problem only he could fix: Convince Yellow and White Diamond to come to Earth and help heal the corrupted gems. Of course he had stabilized enough of a relationship with Yellow to convince her to help. After that, there was one diamond he had to convince. The one he hadn't even seen, except in murals. But he had heard of her great authority. White Diamond.

Jean’s hands had twitched anxiously as he rambled off his frustration and dread to the blue pearl who had helped raise him, all the while approaching the room of the highest matriarch in Homeworld. But he told himself over and over, just one more thing. It will all be over after this.

“I’ll be waiting outside if you need anything.” Blue Pearl assured him with a kind smile. Jean just stood there staring at her for a minute, desperate to come up with some excuse to not go inside, but he couldn’t find one. He sighed, then swallowed against a dry throat. He was about to knock, but the sudden emergence of Pink Pearl warping in a bubble through the door interrupted him. “Milo will see you now.” She informed him cheerily. Jean had a double take at her words, but he genuinely couldn’t tell if he was just mishearing things.

He didn’t really have time to question it before the door was opening and he was walking in, his heart hammering practically in his throat when he saw the massive white throne. Why was he expecting to be squished like a bug? She had invited him to speak, hadn’t she? And yet, as his gaze trailed up to the seat of the matriarch’s throne, he didn’t find a towering bright woman. Instead, there was a very normal sized (if not slightly smaller than average) young man who looked close to Jean’s own age. The blue hybrid’s confused vision only took in a few things in that moment - gray hoodie. Dark fluffy hair. A bright white diamond centered in his forehead, nestled against his hair. Silver eyes, and gleaming white centers drawing his attention first and foremost in his rounded face. Jean stopped dead in his step, forgetting any formal introduction he had planned. He just stared, his jaw slacking in surprise. There was a human just like him. A gem human. And that other hybrid stared at him back, in equal shock for a long time. Jean swallowed and suddenly lifted his arms to salute the hybrid. “My Diamond… Thank you for receiving me for audience.” He echoed from what Blue Pearl had instructed. “You may call me Jean.”

So many questions began to arise in Jean’s mind, but they were pushed back as the white hybrid rose from his seat and leapt down and approached the stunned, tall man. His face was lighting up with a small smile as he drew closer to Jean. Then he spread his arms out, opening them wide. “Welcome… Jean. Jean.” He said, as though trying the name out. Or maybe he was committing it to memory. “It’s so nice to meet you. You can call me Milo.”

Fuck. Fuck, did he want a hug? Why? Why did Jean have to do this? Hugging a stranger was the last thing he wanted to do. He wanted to sink into the ground right at that moment, but he was moving in confused auto-pilot by polite impulse as he drew in and limply wrapped his arms around the smaller diamond hybrid, expecting a short hug in return before they got down to business. He hated this. Oh god, this was awful. Why a hug?

And even more mortifying was the fact that ‘Milo’ didn’t return the hug. He could feel the white hybrid’s breath catch through his form in a sharp gasp, going rigid. Jean’s face flared up in pure embarrassment. Wait. Fuck. Did he misunderstand the gesture Milo gave him? He started to slip his arms away and quite possibly leave there, crawl under his blankets in Blue Diamond’s room and stay there for all eternity… But then Milo suddenly returned the hug, his arms snaking around Jean’s waist and pulling him back against him impossibly tight. Jean felt his breath squeezed out of him for a second as the stiff yet strong grip coiled into him, and Milo’s face cautiously pressed into his chest with a soft hum.

Panic and confusion set in on top of the ramping embarrassment for the blue hybrid. “What the fuck…” He couldn’t help but utter aloud, trying to take a step back to encourage the latched-on man to release him. It didn’t work. Milo traveled with him, even after Jean was far done even touching him with his arms. “Okay now, uh…” He said, trying to tip off more that he was more than done with this hug. “You can let go now.”

Milo didn’t let go. Increasing in panic and now annoyance, Jean repeated himself. “You can let go now. Dude. Let go.” He said, getting sharper as he actually worked to try and pry the smaller man off. But his grip was impossibly strong, even for Jean, who was used to being the strongest among humans despite his appearance. But... This was another hybrid. “Let go - Let me go! I need to talk to you about something serious!” He snapped anxiously, finally pushing Milo away from him once his grip managed to loosen, and he was just met with a curious gaze, up close this time, and it genuinely sent a strange shock through Jean into the pit of his stomach. Diamonds. His pupils were stunning white diamonds, staring back at him and seemingly right down to his soul.

He had trouble continuing to meet those eyes, so his gaze flickered away from them frequently as he went on, assuming the wide eyes staring back at him meant Milo was paying attention to him. “I… Sorry, I…” He hesitated, before clearing his throat and shifting back to a polite tone. “I apologize for my rudeness. I wanted to talk to you about the state of things here on Earth.” He said, not sure if he should continue to salute to the hybrid.

It was just weird. Was Milo like him, not liking to be treated like his own diamond mother? Or was he supposed to be treated like the highest authority it was? All these questions just left his hands hovering somewhere in between resting and the beginnings of a salute, before he nervously brushed strands of his long hair out of his face. “After Pink was shattered, and the rest of the Diamonds… We… Finished the war. It left gems on Earth to corrupt and roam there as monsters. But with the alliance now, I wanted to ask if you… And Yellow… Could possibly come back to Earth and help reverse the corruption we’ve done?” He asked, wincing slightly as he spoke. What if he got told no because he snapped at him? Stupid piece of shit. Great job.

And yet Jean didn’t get a no. In fact, he didn’t really get a vocal response after that. Milo continued to gaze at him with a smile, and he was starting to question if maybe the white hybrid had even been listening to him. He took this as a reason to keep explaining. “Earth is very important to me… As a human myself. And maybe you understand that too - or… Maybe you don’t… But those corrupted gems are suffering the way they are, and they don’t deserve that either…. Yellow agreed to help. Won’t you...?”

“Yes.” Milo suddenly agreed.

A wave of relief washed over Jean at that. His eyes widened. “You will?”

“Of course I will… Jean.” Milo replied, once again trying out the name with a deep focus on it. It made the blue hybrid feel strangely self-conscious. The white hybrid smiled more and went on. “I’ve never been to Earth.”

Jean saw the hybrid shift closer to him again, and he felt his stomach drop. Nope. He couldn’t deal with another hug. He stumbled backwards a few steps away from him, forcing a polite smile even though he was hit by a renewed wave of embarrassment. “Great! This is great. I have no go. Um. Bye.” He spat out in rapid-fire, eager to escape the harrowing interaction as soon as he could manage. Even before he could hear a goodbye in return from Milo, he had turned on his heel and strode out of the room as fast as his long legs could take him.

As he hurried away from the room that lay behind him shortly after, Blue Pearl jogged to catch up with the fleeing blue hybrid. “How did it go?” She asked, noting the mortified look on his face.

“Yellow didn’t tell me White was… Was like me. He’s half human, Pearl.” He replied, looking at her.

“Wait, what?” She squeaked in equal surprise to him. She had been absent from Homeworld even longer than he had. It seemed she was none the wiser to this news.

“Yeah, and he fucking- He hugged the breath out of me!” Jean hissed to her, raking his hands through his hair before groaning miserably.

Blue Pearl laughed at him, both amused and sympathetic as she followed him back to his room. “But you got a yes. You did it.” She encouraged, her laughter still lilting her soft voice.

She was right. He did it. He got both remaining diamonds on board to heal those monsters back home… And then he would be done. But that didn’t change the nervous and dread-filled thought that remained with him as he lay on his back on the bed the Pebbles had made for him, staring up at the ceiling of his palanquin. _‘That’s White Diamond. Oh god, I’m going to have to work with him.’_

_________________________________________ 

A week after the two hybrids had met, Milo found himself sprawled out on his back on the seat of the abnormally large white throne in the ballroom. Like many times in the past week, his thoughts floated to the other hybrid he had met. Blue. Or, rather Jean. The tall man had taken him utterly by surprise when he saw him. For being a hybrid like him, he was so different. Long, beautiful dark brown hair spilled over his shoulders and into his face. His eyes, as blue as the gem in his chest, were marked with black diamond-shaped pupils. His long face and angular jawline were shadowed by stubble.

In their short meeting, Jean had given him the most unexpected gesture; A hug. A hug? That’s what Pip called it. The pink pearl had given Milo hugs before, but somehow it wasn’t quite the same with her light projected form. Wait… Was Jean light projected? He was also a hybrid, but what if he was more human than gem, or more gem than human? Or were they completely alike in nature? There were so many questions only the blue hybrid could answer…

Milo groaned and turned onto his side on the throne so he could look at the large ballroom, pristinely perfect in its silence. And its emptiness. He wanted to see him again… Suddenly his gaze was drawn downwards at the sound of a quiet, cool voice at the bottom of the thrones. Before him stood a sapphire, holding up her arms in a salute. He lifted his head curiously.

“Forgive my interruption, my Diamond. My future vision told me you would be here. Is everything alright?” The blue gem asked.

Milo found himself stiffening at the question - an odd reaction from the hybrid. He was almost always rather calm. But he thought over the sapphire’s question and wasn’t exactly sure how to voice the new feelings that had snuck in the moment Jean had given him a hug. “I-I’m fine.” He replied. At least, he assumed he was.

The sapphire looked back at him with a calmness only found in the gems gifted with future vision. Then with a smile, she turned her gaze towards the empty ballroom. “It’s funny you should be in here,” She proceeded, almost carefully shaping the conversation’s direction. “It so reminds me of the Diamond Balls from Era 1, when all the diamonds were… Well, together.”

Milo flopped onto his stomach, his interest piqued as he pulled himself to peer directly down from the edge of the throne to listen to the sapphire more closely. “The Diamond Balls? All the diamonds?” He pried on. He felt like he was getting onto something at her words, but in truth he really didn’t know what that something was his mind was adding up to. His eyes widened all the more as she went on to explain.

“Oh yes, the Diamonds would organize them to celebrate the strength of their own courts. There would be such wonderful music and dancing…” The sapphire said, her smile mirroring the one that was starting to form on the white hybrid’s face, “It was Pink Diamond’s special duty to arrange them. And sometimes, when things got livelier, Pink Diamond would even convince Blue Diamond to dance with her herself.”

...Pink? BLUE!? Just the thought of Blue again had him thinking of Jean, and his train of thought was now set at full speed. The hybrid got eagerly to his feet before leaping down off the throne, surrounding himself with a bubble to safely float down to the floor by the sapphire. The bubble popped once he had landed, and he leaned closer to the ever-calm sapphire. In turn, she merely paused to brush some of her hair back as he asked, “What’s a dance!?”

“Oh, you know. It’s moving along to music. Most gems dance side by side, but some are assigned partners and dance holding their hands together, you could say.” The sapphire explained politely, saluting in respect when the diamond hybrid landed close to her before beginning to perform some simple dance steps as demonstration to him. She hummed a quiet tune along with her steps.

“P-Partners?” Milo echoed, a grin on his face at the word alone. It inevitably brought him back to thinking of the other hybrid. Almost without even meaning to, he could just imagine dancing with Jean. And then getting another hug. The more he thought about it, the more excited he grew. “You can uh- WAIT! You said Pink danced with Blue?”

“When White Diamond allowed it… My Diamond.” The sapphire answered with a dip of her head.

“I am White Diamond.” Milo replied matter-of-factly, before bouncing full into an energetic mood he had never felt before. “Then we need to have a Diamond Ball!” He exclaimed, pulling the sapphire into an unexpected hug. In that brief moment, he could finally register the differences between this gem and what he had experienced with Jean. His embrace had warmth to it, unlike the light form of the small blue gem. He released her nearly as quickly as he had pulled her in. “Thank you so much for your services!” He said, then he paused… “How do I start a ball?”

The sapphire smiled softly and nodded. “I predicted that my Diamond would like something to lift his spirits.” She said, immensely satisfied with herself if her tone was any indicator. “Allow me to explain…”

In no more than an hour, the white hybrid burst into his room with a kick in his step, his head swiveling for sight of a dear and familiar pink and gray colored pearl. “Pip!” He called out.

The pearl in question looked up from a screen she had been seated in front of and she smiled, noting the hybrid’s excitement that practically buzzed through him with a simple glance from one eye. “Yes, my Diamond?”

“I would like you to invite Blue and Yellow to a Diamond Ball. I- I know you’re not technically my pearl, but could you send out the invitations?” He asked pleadingly, the hybrid’s eyes sparkling with far more personality than that of the cold gaze of his predecessor. He wasn’t completely innocent to the effect that those eyes had on the gem that helped raise him. And of course, it had taken its full effect.

Pip’s gaze softened affectionately, his excitement seeping into her own tone. “Of course, my Diamond! I’ll send those invitations right away.”

“Excellent!” Milo cheered, leaping up to the elevated diamond chair to open his own communicator and send out the message to his court so they could begin preparations. He smiled down from his seat, meeting the pearl’s gaze. “Thank you, Pip.” He added before getting to work planning this new event.

The pearl finished sending out the invitations to both Blue and Yellow Pearl, messages that would then be delivered to the remaining Diamond and the Diamond hybrid. When she met his gaze afterwards and heard his thank you, she nodded. “You’re welcome, Milo.”

__________________________________________

Jean was interrupted from ‘work’ (a nap at his Diamond chair in front of the communicator screen) when Blue Pearl shook his shoulder. He flinched awake, drenched in sweat and disoriented as a two-liter bottle of soda started to roll out of his lap. “Wha…? - Shit!” He hissed, and with unexpectedly quick reflexes he caught it before it could fall off.

“Sorry to interrupt, Jean.” Blue Pearl said, watching him greedily take a swig of his fizzy drink to wake himself up with a wry smile. “You have received an invitation from White Diamond to attend a Diamond Ball.”

Jean scowled at her, agitated over the heavy tiredness in his eyes as he processed her words. “...The fuck is that? I didn’t think they did anything even remotely fun.” He questioned.

“It was an event Pink Diamond would normally host for your mother and the other Diamonds. Their courts would arrive, greet their Diamond, and then dance. On occasion White Diamond had allowed your mother and Pink Diamond to dance.” The pearl replied, pausing for a moment before smiling faintly. “Your mother was very fond of them.”

Jean gave a long sigh to express his distaste for the sound of everything she had just described, sinking in his chair. First of all, he was already getting way too many unpleasant flashbacks to high school formal events for some reason. Secondly, why? He had more important things to arrange, and some ball was a huge waste of time to attend for an evening. Gems might have all the time in the world to spend, but he sure as hell didn’t and neither did Earth.

And then he finally processed the biggest hangup that would quickly dominate all his other complaints. White Diamond was inviting him. More specifically, Milo was asking him to attend. Only reminded of the horrible embarrassment that was that hug, Jean wasn’t eager to have to see the other hybrid more than he needed to. He glanced lazily over to the pearl, rubbing the sides of his nose as a thread of a faint headache pulsed through his sinuses. “Has Yellow said yes?” He asked.

Blue Pearl looked back at the screen of her communicator and scrolled further to check for a reply from Yellow Diamond’s pearl. She shook her head. “She hasn’t replied yet.” She answered, “Sorry, Jean.”

Jean huffed and raked his fingers through his hair to get some out of his face. Then he smiled wryly. “I was hoping she said no.” He admitted bluntly.

“I’m hearing a no from you.” The pearl said with a soft laugh. Jean could tell she wanted to tell him to decide otherwise, but was holding back that opinion. He was content with that knowledge.

“Yep.” He confirmed, taking a swig from his soda and savoring the fizzy sweetness. It almost felt like it took the edge off his own impending waves of stress in its own way.

“Alright Jean.” She replied, slipping away from the blue chair. Jean yawned and stretched in his seat, tucking his bottle of soda against his side as he prepared to rest his eyes for a little longer… But he was immediately interrupted by one of his ruby guards, who had apparently been in the room the entire time, suddenly piped up.

“What!?” Rubin exclaimed. Not only had this ruby distinguished himself by wearing a bandana around his neck, but he also had given himself a nickname after meeting the blue hybrid. Jean shot the red gem a glare through half-closed eyes. “But you’re Blue Diamond! And Blue Diamond never refused!” Rubin said, pausing for a moment before shooting a suspicious squint back to the blue hybrid.

Jean rolled over in his seat to face away from Rubin, attempting an authoritative reaction to get the gem off of his back. “Yeah, well I am now. And that’s that.” he growled. He just managed to bite back the addition that he wasn’t his mother, but he knew better than to go down that trail. There was silence for a moment, giving him the notion that his reply had actually been effective…

He ventured a look back towards the ruby again, only to find another one of the rubies - this one wearing a cowboy hat - cuffing her arm around Rubin’s neck playfully. Wait, where did she get that hat? Did he have a ruby guard with a cowboy hat? That must have been new. “Ahah ah! Oh J- Blue Diamond!! What a kidder, ahahaha!”

Rubin paused, his squint turning into an accusatory glare at the blue hybrid. “Blue Diamond… Doesn’t KID anyone.” He analyzed.

This pushed Jean’s agitation over the edge, and he shot up out of his chair. “I’m not Blue Diamond, damn it!” He exclaimed before he could help it. “It's such a waste of time, why should I break my back slouching in that big ass throne to watch everyone dance to shitty music?”

The two rubies stared aghast at him for a moment before Jean realized his mistake as Rubin appeared to be steaming over. "I mean I am! Fuck, we've been over this, I-” Jean tried to backpedal, holding up his hands and yet mentally preparing for yet another assault to the shins.

“TOO LATE, YOUR COVER HAS BEEN BLOWN!!” Rubin exclaimed, “RUBIES, ASSEMBLE!" At their leader’s order, the remaining four rubies flooded in from the door, ready for orders. “Ahahaha! I knew it! Rubies, we have an IMPOSTER!!” He shouted, pointing to Jean who winced already.

Several voices of shock rang out in the group, while the one in the cowboy hat stayed further back behind the rest, seemingly less betrayed than the others. Then they yelled out their battle cries as they charged toward him with their fists held high and ready to attack.

"Look, look, look!" Jean tried to shout over the cacophony of angry red soldiers, climbing to stand on his chair while desperately waving his soda bottle around as a makeshift weapon to keep them at bay while he tugged down his shirt collar to show them the blue diamond in his chest. "See!"

Suddenly the rubies all stopped at the base of the chair to stare at the bright blue gem. They were silent as they processed the reveal - one that he had to show them nearly every day it felt like. Then they began to mumble their agreement that he was, in fact, actually Blue Diamond.

At this, the one in the cowboy hat stepped forward, looking more relieved than the others. “Okay my uh— My Diamond. But what about this - The only diamond to ever refuse the balls were Yellow or White. And even then, Pink was the one who sent out the invitation. Not White, the highest ranking of the diamonds.” She said, putting her hands on her hips and beaming with a wide smile once she had finished as though she had really gotten one up on him.

Jean opened his mouth to protest, but it quickly occurred to him that she was right. This was an event organized by the big cheese himself - even if he seemed like just another human like him. Saying no could seem like disrespect to his authority, and maybe even ruin his chances of helping those corrupted gems. Even worse, that would in turn stop him from going home for longer. The blue hybrid groaned in complaint, before slumping his shoulders and sinking into his seat. “Fine… Guess I don’t really have a choice.” He concluded.

He craned his neck lazily to look for Blue Pearl. “Peaaaarl?” He called.

She slipped back inside the room, apparently having wandered out while the rubies were interrogating him. “Yes?”

"Uh... I changed my mind, accept the invitation..." Jean said, his voice faltering mid-sentence the more he began to regret saying it. But there was no backing out. He had a planet to look after. Even though it never did him any favors.

“Sure, Jean.” The pearl replied, glancing towards the ruby with the cowboy hat questioningly before pulling up her communicator again.

“Yes!!” That ruby suddenly exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air and drawing attention from the blue hybrid. Why did this one seem… Different? Familiar, almost? However, at Jean's bemused look she laughed nervously, looking around at the other rubies before shrugging her shoulders. “Ahahaha! Wow! I’m soooo excited… I love dancing with my fellow rubies…!” She added. Suddenly the others voiced their agreement, smiles on their faces.

Jean rolled his eyes, focusing back onto Blue Pearl. He leaned closer to her. “I don’t know what I’m doing…” He admitted quietly.

She extended an arm to rest her hand on his shoulder and smiled patiently. “Don’t worry. I’ll tell you everything you need to know, alright?”

__________________

It took a few days of planning, but the day was here. Milo sat on his ridiculously large throne while wearing a pristinely white suit. His court had already gathered inside and waited for the remaining two diamonds and their courts to enter. His bright diamond eyes swept over the gems until they impatiently settled onto the exceptionally tall entrance where the others would be entering soon. His feet kicked at the edge of his throne in idle anticipation... And his mind couldn’t help but drift to yet another fantasy…

“Are you nervous about the ball, my Diamond?” Pip asked, suddenly shaking him out of his train of thought. She stood beside him on the throne that was clearly built for a far bigger diamond. She had been the one to get his suit designed for him in time for the event - with the assistance of a very helpful sapphire.

“H-Huh?” Milo replied, a smile already on his face just from his daydreaming. The question took him off-guard now that he was considering it. “N-No? ...I don’t think I am. Is this what it feels like to be nervous?” He asked her, tugging on the collar of his dress shirt. Now he was self-conscious about it. He had never been nervous before.

Pip smiled sympathetically, her head tilting as she looked at him. “Oh, I’m positive that it will go perfectly, my Diamond!” She cooed affectionately, “We’ve already had so much fun just organizing it, haven’t we?”

Milo smiled back at her, remembering how invigorating it felt to look forward to something as much as he had with this ball. He just wanted to see him again so much. “Yeah…” He admitted.

His eyes widened and he sucked in a small gasp when he heard the voice of Blue Pearl, gluing his eyes back to the entrance as excitement danced in the pit of his stomach. "Everyone prepare yourselves emotionally for the over powering elegance that is Blue Diamond." The pearl announced before the drapery, as it was slowly lifted by a few aquamarines.

Far below, much smaller than the sheer size of the entrance, the tall blue hybrid emerged. He wore a sleek, well-fitted dark tuxedo, complemented by a blue tie. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets, and while Milo was completely transfixed on him as he walked down the hall, his blue eyes only seemed focused on the gems on either side of him. Milo’s smile widened as he drew closer. He never felt so compelled to smile so wide before. He felt so happy. Smiling felt like it was just about all he could do at that moment. He felt his cheeks warm up, most likely the blood pumping faster and faster. He covered his cheeks with his hands, trying to pull his smile down, but it was to no avail.

When the blue hybrid had finally reached the base of the four thrones, he finally looked up to meet Milo’s gaze, taking in a breath before speaking, projecting his voice so it could reach the other hybrid so far up above. “Thank you for inviting me and my court to attend… Milo.”

“Th- Thank you for coming to - ” - _NO, NO, NO, THAT’S NOT IT_ \- “I appreciate your attendance, Jean.” Milo stated formally.

Jean smiled politely back at him, before making his way up to climb into his own blue throne beneath Milo. The white hybrid had completely forgotten they were still waiting on Yellow to make her entrance - Until the emergence of Yellow Pearl finally pulled his attention away from Jean. He wanted another one. Just one. Then maybe he’d finally stop thinking about it… Or maybe he would start finding more ways t- MILO, PAY ATTENTION!

Yellow Pearl held her head high as she cleared her throat before speaking. "Ahem, the daunting beauty of Yellow Diamond-" She paused for a moment, smirking as she built up anticipation. "Has more important matters to attend to. She has instructed me to sit in for her." She stated, her smirk only growing wider as she made her way down the hall proudly and then attempted to climb up into the yellow throne with the highest amount of dignity possible.

“T-Thank you for your attendance in Yellow’s stead, Pearl.” Milo said, and then he cleared his throat before addressing the now full ballroom with all three courts gathered. “N- now without further adieu” Milo rose to stand on his throne, spreading his arms out wide to the entire combined court. “Thank you for attending the first diamond ball in over a millennia.” He then set his arms at ease, and the music rose up through the room as the gems began to dance.

Just below his throne sat Blue Diamond’s. _There he is._ Milo’s eyes sparkled as he watched the man seated in the large throne, the blush returning to his face. Then he looked back to the dancing gems. They looked like they were having so much fun~

...That sapphire said Pink and Blue danced with permission from White Diamond. _I-I’m White Diamond now. Should I have come in pink?_ He wondered about this, wrapping his arms around himself, when as if it were a pleasant dream, those blue eyes actually met his - he had turned around to look at him! But as quickly as it had happened, the blue hybrid had turned away again all too soon. In that brief moment when their eyes had met, Milo could have sworn he had been soaring like a lapis. He couldn’t contain himself with the way he was feeling. He wanted - No, _needed_ to get down there. He didn’t know when he would get this kind of chance again. He couldn’t just formally invite Jean to a ball every day, could he?

His mind was made up. He stood up and began climbing up and over the arm of the chair, stopping to look fully down at Jean’s throne as he sought out a good place to land. Then, his heart beating even faster with anticipation, he leapt from his perch, so many fantasies flowing through his mind as he drew closer. He nearly forgot to bubble himself halfway down his free fall, but once he did he floated down safely to land on the seat of the throne just behind the other hybrid. He was so close now… He took a minute more just to stare at him with those same sparkling silver eyes. He was truly a sight to behold.

...Below the two hybrids on the dance floor, unseen by either of them, a ruby glanced towards the two hybrids before looking at a sapphire dancing with her fellow sapphires further away. She gave the sapphire a thumbs up. The blue gem giggled quietly to herself at the ruby, before subtly flashing a thumbs up in return.

Jean was already starting to feel his back ache from sitting in the huge throne as he idly watched the gems dance. He was trying to ignore the distinct feeling that a pair of brilliant eyes were boring into the back of his head, but he dreaded looking back again. He couldn’t help but think about that hug. The moment he saw Milo spreading out his arms to greet the court and begin the dance, his suspicion was confirmed that he had completely misread the white hybrid. _He_ had been the one to hug a stranger out of nowhere, and a superior on top of that. He wanted to cover his face with his hands in misery.

But inevitably, he began to wonder if just sitting here was all the diamonds were supposed to do. How long was this going to go on for? Was he supposed to talk to Milo? He steeled himself, taking in a breath before rising to his feet and stretching out the stiffness in his muscles before glancing over his shoulder… And his heart nearly stopped when he saw the white-suited hybrid right there behind him. “ - Ffffucking hell!” He blurted out in his surprise, clutching his chest. _'Idiot piece of shit. That’s White Diamond.'_

“I mean- Sorry. Hello Milo, it’s… A nice turnout.” He greeted, trying his best to save himself and be polite and professional. But it ultimately just came out stilted if anything.

A small smile formed on Milo’s lips when he got to take a good look at the taller hybrid. His hands twitched slightly at his sides. Just one more. He remembered how warm the hug felt, and how new the sensation was to him. His eyes misted up with joyful tears - he had no doubt that his happiness had reached its peak right at this moment. Without any warning, he latched onto the blue hybrid, his arms hooking around his midsection as he pressed himself into Jean and nuzzled his face against him. Unlike their first hug, he wasn’t rigid from shock. He practically melted into him.

Jean, however, went completely rigid, his arms hovering awkwardly in the air front of himself and the hybrid that had hugged him. His hands practically trembled in pure confusion. “Wh- I- You-” He sputtered helplessly, at a loss for words as Milo nuzzled against him. His heart hammered, but he couldn’t find the words for a moment. He couldn’t be harsh like last time - he really didn’t want to push his luck and get on White Diamond’s bad side. Slowly, he reached to push him away, trying to maintain as much dignity as he could, his eyes turned away as he cleared his throat. God, his face was burning. “Look, man, uh… We just met…”

“Yeah? Yeah, we did.” Milo replied, smiling up at him. He didn’t understand what he was getting at. He’s the one who showed him, didn’t he remember? The white hybrid’s itch had been greatly satisfied, though. Just the small warmth and beating heart had managed to calm his nerves back to their usual constant rhythm. Because he wasn’t as stiff this time, he had been easier to pry off… Until he glued himself back to Jean’s side, bringing his hand up to lightly hold part of the blue hybrid’s arm that just barely grazed his cheek. He leaned into his arm as he peered up at him from this new position, completely content. “What about it?”

Jean swallowed and turned his face away from the white hybrid in an attempt to keep his face at least remotely cool. It didn’t really help. That answer stumped him for a minute, his mouth opening and closing helplessly before he finally found the words. “People don’t really… Hug each other like this when they just met?” He replied, feeling weird about stating what should be obvious. He leaned away from Milo’s clutch and snaked his arm away from him.

The white hybrid let Jean’s arm slip away while he contemplated, but it wasn’t long before he made his next move. Milo slipped around to Jean’s other side, draping one arm around the hybrid’s shoulder and the other coiling around his arm. He rested his head on his shoulder, once again gazing up into Jean’s now exposed face. That was better. “But what about you?”

Jean had the impulse to leap off of the tall blue throne and splat himself onto the ballroom floor, he felt so embarrassed. And it wasn’t like he could really avoid the hybrid’s prying, bright eyes - Milo made it a point to look directly into his own. Was the air getting sucked out of the room right now? "I- Well, okay, that was my bad, I really misread what you were doing with that... T-pose thing, and I'm really sorry about that, I've been so fucking embarrassed for weeks..." He rambled off, not used to so many words coming out of his mouth. But normally, he didn't have a human puppydog insistently suctioned against him.

Milo tilted his head up at him, like a confused puppy. But his smile never left, it only grew with more and more fondness. “Mmmhmmmm…” He hummed in response. He didn’t know what he was rambling about, but it was all so… Endearing to him. “Thank you. I’ve never felt like this before. It feels so… special… to me…” He melted back into Jean from his position, but his eyes never left the oceans that were his eyes. He snuggled his face more into him to look at him more comfortably, relishing in the human contact.

Fuuucking fuck. Did he even hear a word he just said? Jean felt his head getting swimmy at all the attention, and the words from the white hybrid. It just made him panic more, but now his limbs felt like jelly, he couldn’t find the ability - or maybe the willpower - to pull himself away. It was all just too much. “Y-Yeah, whatever!” He managed to sputter out, his gaze once again darting away. He had never been on the receiving end of affection like this… And it was so unbearably intoxicating… Maybe... No. He couldn’t do this. Nope. Nopenopenopenope. “Could you… P… Please let go now?”

“Now?” Milo echoed, a hint of disappointment in his voice. He wasn’t ready yet. What if he never saw Jean again? He barely lasted that whole week in his anticipation to meet him again, and a part of him feared Jean wouldn’t accept the invitation to begin with. He had left in such a hurry when they had first met, after all… That’s it. His mind was made up. The arm he had draped over Jean’s shoulders slipped off to wrap around his arm so he could hug it close. “I don’t wannaaaa…” He groaned, nuzzling his face into the fabric of the taller hybrid’s sleeve. “Just a little longer…?”

Jean didn’t think his face could get any warmer, but Milo’s pleading just sent a shock of more heat into his cheeks. And yet at the same time, his lips tugged uncontrollably into a smile. Fuck. Was he enjoying this? The vocal half of his mind was urging him to keep up his willpower and say no, and yet that that was not the voice that made it in his answer. “Fine… You can…” He huffed in a grumble, “It was boring just sitting around watching gems dance, anyway…”

Milo giggled gleefully at his victory and pulled himself closer to Jean’s side. He turned his head slightly to watch the gems dance below them, but he wasn’t really paying much attention to them. All he was really focused on was Jean, and how wonderful it felt to hold him close. It was a warmth he was beginning to wonder how he could ever have lived without - and how he would ever be able to go on without now that he had it. “I… Thank you for coming, Jean.” He said, a blush coloring his cheeks. “I’m not sure I could have sat up there by myself for long.” He admitted softly. It occurred to him in that moment that sitting above gems alone was basically what he had needed to do his whole life.

Jean could barely meet those eyes, but he tried his best to, feeling a pang of sympathy for the other hybrid. Just a few months of working at Homeworld alone was making him stir crazy. In fact… He had no idea that White Diamond was a human hybrid like him. So how long had he been cooped up around the palace? "Mmm... It's no big deal, man. Thanks for, uh, agreeing to help out with the corruption problem..." He replied quietly, breathing in and out deeply to get himself to relax more in Milo's grip.

Milo simply nodded against him, before just barely lifting his head up from Jean’s arm. “Can we sit down?” He asked.

“Uh… Yeah. Sure.” Jean replied - it had just now occurred to him that they had been standing this whole time. It was the least of his concerns as he was being cuddled up to by the shorter man. He slithered his arm away from Milo so he could take a seat.

Milo quickly sat down beside him. He maneuvered himself underneath the arm that he had previously captured so he could press himself against Jean and rest his head on his chest so he could listen better to the dull sound of his heartbeat. It was yet another thing that he loved so much - The soothing, organic beat of the hybrid’s heart, compared to that of the constant hum of gems’ projected lifeforms.

Jean’s breathing hitched as Milo adjusted even closer to him, his arm hovering lightly over his shoulder before hesitantly finding its place lowered onto it. All the while, his mind raced with everything that was happening and his own confusion over how he felt. Was this all just pure culture shock on Milo’s part, or had he really meant what he said when he told Jean this felt special to him? _'He didn’t mean it like that, idiot.'_ And yet… The more that thought bounced around in his mind, the more alluring it was to him.

Milo’s heart beat faster just by the lightly reciprocated contact alone, and he responded by wrapping his arms tightly around his torso and cuddling up impossibly close. This was perfect, right here. It’s all he wanted. Maybe it was all he ever wanted. He didn’t even remember why he had come down to see Jean in the first place. All he could think about was this wonderful man that he was snuggling.

Jean smiled more widely than he ever cared to admit. Shit, how could he not find Milo’s reaction at least a little bit endearing? It was fine to feel that way… He could push aside the increasingly stronger feelings he really didn’t want to be having away with that in mind. He let himself chuckle weakly... Then his curiosity got the better of him. “So… Have you lived on Homeworld for long?” He asked quietly, finally feeling up to look directly down at him.

Milo nodded, his gaze focused out on the sea of gems dancing their non-existing hearts out. “For as long as I can remember...” He replied. Then he frowned as he suddenly began to think. Had he ever really been happy until now? Sure, he thought he was. He had given so many smiles, and worked hard just like he was supposed to with no complaints. But… Did they ever really give him any genuine pleasure like he was feeling now? He managed to give a small smile as he lifted his head to meet Jean’s gaze. “So like, since I was born, I think.”

Jean’s insides did flips when he saw those eyes from up so close. Even so, he couldn’t help but wear a grimace at Milo’s answer. “God, that sucks.” He said before he could bite his tongue. _'You stupid piece of shit, you can’t just say that to White Diamond, why can’t you just shut-'_

“It’s not that bad…” Milo replied with a small shrug. It wasn’t bad… Right? In the corner of his vision, he could still see the gems dancing. All of those gems had a use… But sometimes it felt like that’s all they were for. Quartzes fought and protected. Garnets commanded. Lapises terraformed. Even sapphires could tell you what their use is for… The white hybrid huffed to himself, trying to think of a better reason, but there was nothing else. It wasn’t that bad. It really wasn’t. But maybe he just found something that he liked better. With that in mind, he closed his eyes and nuzzled his cheek against the fabric of the blue hybrid’s suit, breathing in and out contentedly. If he really wanted to, he could have seen himself falling asleep right then and there where he was. Cuddled up to this man, Jean, and not a care in the world… But he didn’t want to miss the dance he had worked to set up.

Wait… Milo’s brow furrowed at that. There was something about this dance that he was supposed to remember. Something important… Why did he organize this event again? He shifted to bury his face away into Jean, tucking nearly right under his chin. The taller hybrid seemed to be the only place he could find to keep his constant calm, and he needed it to remember what he had forgotten.

Jean shifted guiltily, a helpless smile melting onto his face the moment the other hybrid couldn’t see it. He had gotten used to this all a little too quickly. Not too long ago, he was dreading being locked into another hug, but the longer he spent with Milo the more it was growing on him. He was greedy to enjoy the attention while he had it… while his own gem’s aura didn’t seem to be affecting the other hybrid. Of course, this didn’t help the constant vague stream of self-deprecating thoughts going through his mind. Because here was a clearly isolated man who had just met another (mostly) human, likely for the first time. And shit Jean was indulging himself in the dizzying warmth that he knew all too well than to entertain.

 _'Don’t do it, you stupid piece of shit.'_ His hand traitorously ventured against his better nature. _'Don’t. You’re going to regret it.'_ Too bad. His hand rested gently on the man’s head, a new wave of warmth flaring through Jean when he felt how soft his hair was. _'Oh. Oh no.'_

At the hand in his hair, any previous thoughts Milo had about the dance had gone completely out the window. An oddly pleasant shiver went through him. That was new… Had anyone even touched his hair before? He couldn’t remember, but regardless, it made him only want to move closer. He reflexively pulled his legs onto Jean’s lap to cuddle up even more, grinning into the spot he had nestled his face into.

Jean stiffened all the more in surprise. Oh god. This was a mistake. He just made it far worse for himself. _Or better…_ No. No. He can’t do this. He quickly retracted his hand and cleared his throat. “Look, uh… You wanna just talk?” He managed to ask, pitifully half-hearted.

Milo was very unamused by this outcome. That was not what he expected to say the least, and he made it a point to show his disappointment with his expression… For a whole five seconds. He couldn’t keep a straight frown when he had pulled himself off to look at the blue hybrid. Jean’s ocean blue eyes made it impossible to stay anything but happy. So he settled for voicing his displeasure by crossing his arms and blowing raspberries off in another direction.

Jean blinked in indignation at Milo’s response. It took him so much by surprise, but it was so fucking adorable he couldn’t even hope to really be mad… This guy was really starting to make him lose his sense more and more the longer this went on. “What, is that a no?” He snickered, feeling somewhat awkward and unsure of how to move forward after that. "Most people at least have a few conversations before, uh... b-before..." He faltered off. ' _Idiot idiot idiot, he doesn't know anything about dating, there you go jumping to conclusions.'_

“We’re having one now.” Milo pointed out, puffing out his cheeks in his own indignation and squinting back up at the man, refusing to move off of his lap. “And we had one last week… That’s gotta be at least a few.” He grumbled at his last remark, not understanding and certainly not accepting any form of defeat.

Jean wasn’t sure whether to laugh or huff in his frustration and flustered state. “But you don’t know me, and I don’t know you, not enough for…” - He gestured to Milo’s stubbornly secured position on his lap - “This. You know?”

Milo stared up at him, having no idea what he was supposed to know. Slowly, he began to shake his head as an answer.

Jean sighed. This just made him feel exponentially more embarrassed. What if he had been freaking out and overanalyzing things? Classic Jean. Panicking and ruining something that was probably more simple than he was making it out to be. _'Great job. Real stellar.'_ Maybe he really was just culture shocked. Maybe he wasn’t even thinking this was anything but platonic, and Jean was getting himself tied up in knots over some adorable, huggable, perfect man from space - _WAIT NO, SHUT UP._ “L-Like… I dunno, you can tell me what you like to do for fun, or… About the gems in your court that you like. And then I can tell you some things about me. Understand?” He replied. He was lucky Blue Pearl was out of earshot. If she heard how gently he spoke to the hybrid he was finding himself increasingly attracted to, she would have probably laughed at him.

“F-Fun?” Milo echoed, blinking. “This ball is the ‘funnest’ thing to ever happen so far.” He admitted. Wait. Wait, wait, _wait._ He suddenly leapt to his feet, a huge grin lighting up his face. “AAAAAH! I REMEMBER NOW!”

Jean flinched as the white hybrid suddenly flew out of his lap, and he looked up at him, utterly perplexed. “Wha-?”

“JEAN!” Milo exclaimed, his voice laced with excitement.

“Yeah…?” The blue hybrid replied, unsure why the pit of his stomach buzzed with nerves all of the sudden.

“Will you dance with me?” Milo asked, placing his hands to his chest. “A sapphire told me that Blue and Pink used to dance all the time when they had permission from White Diamond. And- And I am White Diamond.” He said, before kneeling back down and grabbing Jean’s hands, trying to get a good look in his blue eyes. “S-So maybe… Wait… Do we need to talk more before we can dance together too?” Milo bit his lip. He had never rambled on like that before. Usually, he kept things straighter to the point, but in a twist of irony, he was feeling anything but straight at that moment.

 _'Oh my god.'_ Jean stared speechless for a moment, before he began glancing between Milo’s face and their held hands. _S_ _peak, dumbass._ “ - Yes - I mean, no - fuck.” He stuttered in reply, quickly turning his face away to scowl at the wall. He took in a deep breath. Okay. He could do this. “We can dance, is what I mean. That’s fine.” He replied more clearly, rising to his feet. Dancing was something more in his territory. Maybe he could feel like he had a little more control over himself if he was intent on keeping his steps up with the rhythm.

Milo gasped loudly, lunging to practically tackle Jean back into a hug and nuzzling into him. “Yes, yes, yes! Thank youuuu!” He exclaimed. He pulled away and latched onto his arm as soon as they had both gotten up onto their feet, lacing their fingers together. “Let’s go!” He laughed, giddy and hardly concealing his excitement.

Jean returned the hug this time, with the lightest embrace. His head swam lightly with the pace of everything that was all happening in just one evening - but he couldn’t help but wear a faint smile because of how contagious Milo’s joy was. But he paused, looking down at the ballroom floor as he raked his fingers through his hair to get some out of his face. "How did you get down from your throne?" He asked, feeling a bit too dizzy to risk a jump.

Milo beamed up at him and simply summoned a bubble around the two of them, startling the taller hybrid. “My bubble can float.” He said, as though that explained everything. He pushed the both of them off the throne and they made their way to an empty space to an empty spot on the dance floor.

Jean instinctively clutched onto Milo’s arm once they had lifted off the ground, feeling anxious to just be standing and floating into the air. He remained tense until the bubble had safely drifted back down and onto the ballroom floor, where the bubble dispelled around them. “Wow… That’s… Pretty cool, Milo.” He admitted, sounding far too surprised for his liking in hindsight.

Momentarily enamored by the other hybrid’s voice alone, Milo snuck a quick nuzzle against Jean’s shoulder before pulling him further along into a spot of his choosing. Then he stood in front of his partner expectantly. He’s… Never danced before.

Jean looked at Milo, not sure what he expected for a moment before it clicked in his head and he shook himself to clear his head. Of course. Milo didn’t know how to dance. “Right, so… I can take the lead. You take your left hand up like this, and… I’ll hold it with my right.” He explained, holding his hand up to take the other's.

Milo watched the other hybrid’s hand for a bit before realizing what he had needed to do. It was his turn to blush slightly, his eyes locked on to Jean’s as his fingers lock around his offered hand.

Jean nodded, "There ya go." He said, a blush on his face as well. He felt like everyone was watching them. He cleared his throat and then took a step in towards Milo before slipping an arm along his waist to pull him in closer. "And you can put your other hand on my shoulder."

Milo’s face lit up with a wide smile, his eyes sparkling as he was pulled closer by _Jean_. He realized that it was purely for the dance, but every affectionate gesture from the taller hybrid managed to make his heart skip a beat… He shook his head and followed the example provided by Jean, reaching up to rest his hand on his shoulder. “O-Okay.” He breathed. Breathtaking. That was how he could describe the blue hybrid in this lighting. It seemed to shine off of his full, long hair.

Jean swallowed. It was hard to keep himself together when someone was looking at him like that, like he was actually something. Was it probably a mistake in the long run? From experience, that was what he expected was inevitable. And yet it was far too alluring to actually make someone happy for a change. It was like he could forget who he really was while this man was drawn by the newness of human contact… And then he would forget about Jean, but that was okay. As long as Jean was prepared for that, he was in control. If he could make Milo smile like that just for this moment, he could be content in that. He would enjoy it while it lasted. "Just follow my lead," He said, before beginning some simple steps along to the music. Looking the hybrid in the eye was pretty much unavoidable by this point. He couldn't ignore the obvious as he gazed down into those bright eyes; He was completely smitten with Milo.

Milo nodded, following along with Jean’s lead. Step by step. Sway by sway. Oh, how he _wished_ he could just stop the day and stay in this very moment. His eyes shied away for a moment before returning with the same intensity as before, fixated on meeting the other’s eyes. His smile grew with more and more fondness. He wondered. Was this normal? To want to just… Be with one person? As far as Milo was concerned, there was no one else in the world while they danced - no gems watching as they swirled in step to the music. It was just him and Jean. _'Do you feel the same way? This same weird… Magical feeling? Is it just me?'_ He found himself increasingly wanting to know the answer to those questions, and hoping so deeply that he did feel what he was feeling too. Wouldn’t that be something? Just the thought of that alone drew him to pull closer to the taller hybrid as they danced. Was it normal to want to lay out beneath a star and bask in its heat, snuggled up together like bluebirds of a feather, letting the natural heat of a star float over them? These were one of many fantasies the white hybrid had dreamt of in such a short amount of time.

Jean’s insides tied themselves in knots as Milo only pulled closer to him as they danced. He considered himself lucky he now had leading the dance to focus on. Not to mention feeling lucky he was actually quite good at dancing from the lessons he took with Blue Pearl years ago… He guided Milo along as he eased the both of them into longer strides, gracing them along the ballroom floor in almost hypnotic circles. Then they gradually fell into a rhythm, comfortable to repeatedly flow through their steps across the space they had almost mindlessly. And he was able to focus more on the lovely face gazing up at him. Looking at that smile… Why did it seem so fucking perfect the longer he saw it? And maybe it was better this way, to be a reason for this lonely man to smile while he didn't know Jean and everything the blue hybrid despised about himself. "Here, wanna try another move?" He asked, only loud enough for his dance partner to hear.

For a while, Milo couldn’t speak. It was like he didn’t know how. He didn’t even fully register how close they had become to one another, pressing close while still able to move freely along with Jean’s guidance. He was too focused on just him. A blush tinted his cheeks even more at Jean’s question, but he managed to nod an answer. Would this bring him closer? Is it weird that all Milo could even _think_ about was getting closer? Getting closer to this beautiful stranger - well, less of a stranger now. Jean. Tall and fair. How is it that he has quickly become all Milo _ever_ wanted to think about? Did it really matter? And in the back of his mind, he wondered if he would ever see Jean after all of this is over. He didn’t think he could ever go back to how things were… Not after this.

At Milo’s confirmation, Jean offered him a smile before slipping his hand off of his waist so he could take both of Milo’s _fucking perfect_ hands. He hummed in thought, trying to think of how he would explain this to someone who had never danced before - then he got it. “Alright, I’ll guide you along. Just… Spin when it feels natural.” He instructed softly. Then he released one of Milo’s hands and lifted the other one up high to lead him into a spin, and then another, and soon enough he was twirling him several times across the dance floor. His smile widened when he heard a gasp that broke into delighted laughter, then it widened into a grin with contagious joy. He was enjoying this so much, and his heart fluttered with more than a response to how much they were moving.

The world spun around Milo, twinkling lights blurring across his vision as he was guided into such an unexpected new move. Jean was full of surprises, it would seem, and as much as it made him dizzy, his eyes were alight with wonder as he laughed the whole time. This was definitely the most fun he had since he could remember. Almost without even trying - or maybe it was by Jean’s guidance - his last twirl slowed him down and brought him back to his guiding source. But the taller hybrid wasn’t done, it seemed, because just as he returned, he was swiftly tilted downwards, safe in Jean’s arms as he was suddenly brought into a dip...

...It had been complete muscle memory by the time Milo had spun back over to him. It occurred so naturally Jean hadn’t even realized what he had been doing until he was suddenly staring down at the white hybrid, his dreamy fog dissolving and making him stop dead with a jolt when he realized how close their faces were. His eyes widened, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from those silver ones even if he wanted to.

And Milo gazed back up at Jean. He had never been in this sort of position before. Someone just above him, and that someone being the only thing keeping him from landing on the cold surface that is the ground. And he was absolutely mesmerized. Breathing somewhat heavily, Milo’s eyes took in every feature of the man above, every perfect hair, and the stunning blue irises that you could probably fool Milo into thinking real fish swam in its vast oceans. His somewhat bewildered look turned into a smile. He could almost see his reflection through those wonderful eyes of his.

The voice of reason was drowned out by Jean's own pure wonder in the moment. Milo had captured him entirely and as unexpected as it was, he couldn't help it now. Later Jean can worry about the ramifications, probably. Was he breathing heavily from all that dancing? Or was it the strangely wonderful excitement that gripped his chest? He had certainly felt this way a few times before, but nothing had led him on such an intense experience such as his meeting with Milo. And in this very moment all Jean could think was that he was just too adorable, especially now that he was looking at that smile. It lured him closer until he could no longer see it, because he was pressing his own lips against them with a shiver of delight.

Milo was shocked, so fascinated with absorbing the awe of this moment to realize what it meant when Jean was drawing his face so close. His eyes remained wide open as he registered the hybrid kissing him before his eyes drifted closed. He didn’t know what this was, but he couldn’t help but feel so… Good in this moment. His arms wrapped around the hybrid so he could better secure himself, warmth flowing through him and practically melting him at the new exchange. Maybe this meant Jean felt something similar to what he felt in his presence after all. Just maybe.

After a long moment, Jean slowly drew away, his eyes opening just slightly as his nose grazed against Milo’s. He drew in a sharp breath as the thrill of the kiss remained with him in waves in the pit of his stomach. God… He was even good to kiss… But then his senses came back to him, and his eyes snapped open again. They were in the middle of the ballroom where hundreds of gems could see them. Yellow Pearl could see them. _'Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck you idiot, why would you even-'_ He lifted Milo back up to his feet, his face burning as he looked apologetically to - technically - his superior. "I'm sorry, I- I shouldn't have done that." He said, stilted as he still processed it all.

“Wow…” Milo breathed with a soft chuckle, his eyes wide as he still processed what had happened, himself. Then he was suddenly tackling Jean into yet another unexpected hug, causing the hybrid to stumble backwards a bit before the blue hybrid hugged him in return, much to Milo’s delight. “That… That was something...” He added, nuzzling into Jean despite his frantic apologies. He clutched at the fabric of his suit, gazing up at him pleadingly. “Can we do that again? L-Later, I mean. I-Is there gonna be a later? Please? I...” He begged, not sure how to put his feelings into words. He wanted… No, he _needed_ a reason to continue seeing this man on a day to day basis.

Jean was taken aback by his reaction, Milo’s pleading bringing with it a whole new rush of wildly conflicting emotions to him. But more than anything, he wore a deep blush as he hugged him tighter for a moment. None of this felt real. Maybe it wasn’t. It felt too good to be true. And if it was true, it was definitely too good to last. “If… If you want to, Milo.” He replied, his eyes suddenly fixed upwards towards nothing in particular as traitorous tears started prickling in his eyes. Perfect. Now he was probably making the nearby court cry a little too. _Piece of shit_. But that wasn’t his main concern anymore. He really liked Milo. He should be happy. But an all-too familiar dread was setting in at record speed...

What was he going to do when Milo _really_ got to know him?


	2. The Blue Throne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the events of the Ball, both of the smitten hybrids are eager to see each other again. However, Jean has many reservations weighing on his shoulders - but that still can't stop his affections for Milo from growing.

A day had passed since the Diamond Ball, and Milo had an extra spring in his motions as he flowed through his diamond duties. He was eager to finish his work quickly so he could go and visit the blue hybrid. He couldn’t stop thinking about it from the moment Jean had agreed to see him again… He was pretty sure he would be no matter what, but now he was daydreaming about what they might do as soon as he could see him again. Maybe another hug. Or a dance. Okay, but what if -

Wait. How much of that had actually happened? He couldn’t say with confidence - it all felt like a wonderful dream. Before, he had figured his day dreaming would cease after he got that second hug. But that wasn’t the case at all, and he was happier than he remembered himself ever being.

A chime sounded to announce the entrance of a gem into his room, drawing the white hybrid’s attention back to reality as he looked up from his screen to see Yellow Pearl. She stood rigidly straight in front of his throne after she approached, saluting Milo before clearing her throat. “My Diamond wishes to see you in her chamber, my Diamond.” She said.

Milo tilted his head curiously at that, before standing up on his large throne and then floating down to meet her at her level. “She does? What for?” He asked, maintaining the polite and yet authoritative presentation he had been taught from a young age.

Yellow Pearl nodded. “My Diamond only requested that I escort you.” She replied, before she let her professional demeanor soften for just a moment as she added, “If I had to guess, I would say it’s to talk about your ball.”

It was rare to see any pearl, let alone Yellow Diamond’s pearl make a statement like that, but for the soft and kind heir to galactic tyranny, things tended to slide a lot. She turned on her heel, fixing her posture once again before leading Milo out of his room. The white hybrid hurried to keep up with her, his arms tucking behind his back as he walked by her side despite a glance of instinctive protest from the pearl.

“The ball, huh?” He echoed, a smile growing on his face as his mind wandered dreamily back to that night, “Well… I think it was wonderful.” He gushed. Despite all he had been strictly trained to do, and as much as he tried to behave like a diamond should, he had never been good at it by any means. Much less at this moment, where he had a joyful skip to his step and a large, goofy grin melted onto his face. Blue Diamond’s room wasn’t far from Yellow’s. He could visit as soon as he was done talking with her.

Milo was quite fond of Yellow Diamond. Many of his earliest memories were of her, holding him in her palm and humming soothing tunes to him as she sat in her chair. She was always quite gentle and affectionate with him when he was very young. Sometimes she would let him cling to her thumb, or on very special occasions, give her thumb funny voices and pretend it was a whole different gem speaking to him. It hadn’t all been as nice as that, of course. Diamonds had important duties to attend to, and as Milo grew older she became stricter with him to make sure he was a proper diamond. It wasn’t uncommon for Yellow to speak cold and bluntly to the boy when she needed to, and she never gave up on raising him with the perfect etiquette befitting his place as White Diamond. Then, when she couldn’t instruct him herself, she gave him even stricter tutors, who likely knew more fear for her than he ever would being a fellow diamond. Of course, Milo would always dread the disapproval of Yellow more than he would the other gems deep underneath his usual cheer. He knew exactly how to behave, and yet upsetting the diamond he cared about so much… That was more frightening than he cared to admit.

Thankfully, most of that dread was in the past now. He always tried his best to be a White Diamond everyone expected him to be, and the gems closest to him knew that... And now he found someone who made his days even brighter than ever before.

He stood a little straighter and put on his best professional expression when Yellow Pearl stepped ahead to announce his presence, entering Yellow Diamond’s room with him shortly behind. “My Diamond, here is White Diamond as you have requested.” She wore a smirk as she spoke, clearly pleased with her performance as always.

The diamond in question was seated in her own chair, a vision of power and authority as her yellow gaze fell down to the gem and the human hybrid. While an old gem would argue that she had certainly begun to look more tired since the loss of her fellow diamonds, there was still always a deliberate, focused aura to her that remained strong through it all. Just as quickly as she had looked at the two, her focus returned back to her work. “Good. Pearl, wait outside.” She ordered.

“Of course, my Diamond.” The pearl replied, before quickly excusing herself and shutting the door behind her, leaving the hybrid alone with the one remaining diamond - well, non-human diamond.

Milo held up a salute to greet her himself, watching her with admiration from his place far below her. While he technically didn’t need to show that level of respect as technically her superior, she had always been a mother figure and example of authority to the young hybrid. He held nothing but the utmost respect for her and everything she did for Homeworld. If anyone knew the level of hard work it took to manage Homeworld and its colonies, it was him. “You asked for me, Yellow?” He asked.

Yellow Diamond didn’t budge her eyes from her screen, continuing her work with one hand as she silently lowered a palm down for Milo to step onto. The white hybrid quickly climbed onto the large gloved hand and gracefully held still as he was lifted up to be on the same level as her face. “Milo…” She began, finally looking to him again with an often-seen hard expression and an equally cold voice to match. It was the same icy authority that could send the strongest Agates and Garnets to their fate. “I heard about your ball, and that Jean was there.”

Milo smiled cautiously, mainly because he couldn’t help it as he nodded. “Mmmhm, he was~” He said, his hands twitching at his sides as he thought about how it felt to hold Jean close. If he wasn’t so well-behaved, he would have ventured an impatient glance towards the door. But he maintained his gaze on Yellow, unsure of where she was going with this.

“I heard that you danced with him… And that you let him kiss you.” Yellow went on, eyeing him for a long moment. It was enough to make Milo’s smile fade slightly, his eyes searching her gaze for disapproval. Then her expression softened into one that went unseen by almost all except for the hybrid. It was the loving gaze of a mother. Her thumb shifted to brush against the side of his face with the gentlest touch. “...I hope you had fun.”

Milo leaned into her touch for a moment, his eyes sparkling with joy as he let a beaming smile overtake his face. He spun himself around, holding his hands to his heart as he let his giddiness free. “Yes!” He replied wistfully, “It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time, Yellow! ...Jean really knows how to dance~” He chuckled softly at the memory, holding a hand to his cheek.

“Hmmm, just like Blue…” Yellow sighed, her smile disappearing from whence it came as she appeared to be in thought. Then it returned once she looked at Milo again. “My Pearl tells me you did well hosting the ball, just like how they used to be. Good work. I’m very impressed with what I’ve heard.” She informed him. After taking one more affectionate look at the young man, she lowered him back to the ground and focused onto her work once more. “If you are going to Jean’s room, inform him that I need the latest report on his colonies. If not, I’ll just have my pearl send him a message… Actually, I’ll go ahead and send that message anyway.” She said, eyeing him from her seat above for one more moment as though she seemed to somehow notice the way his heart leapt at that notion.

“Okay, Yellow!” He replied in a sing-song voice, already making a dash to exit the diamond’s room as he spoke. He almost charged out without another word, he was so excited, but then he stopped himself. He poked his head back through the doorway. “Love you~” He added.

Yellow gave him a soft smile at that and nodded her farewell, and then he was walking on clouds down the hall to the room of the man who had caught his attention so much. Just by Jean’s sudden existence in his universe, he had so many questions and new information to learn. It was thanks to him that he suddenly had a new phrase in his vocabulary. _I love you._ This was just some of what he had learned from his research, but he knew he would have to ask Jean more about it all. And… Maybe he would get to hear him say _I love you, too._

* * *

Blue Pearl had received Yellow Pearl’s message from Yellow Diamond, and glanced up from her communicator towards the blue hybrid in his chair. “Jean, your - “ She began, but she trailed off when she read the addition that Yellow had sent Milo to come speak with him. She smiled to herself and decided to keep that detail a secret for the time being. “...Your soda is getting warm.” She amended, dismissing the light screen to stand beside him.

Jean had been staring fixated on the screen of his own communicator, although he very clearly wasn’t doing anything for the past twenty or thirty minutes at least. He had his cheek resting on his palm, his thoughts lingering on the night before, and how…

Suddenly his eyebrows shot up at Blue Pearl’s comment. His gaze darted to his bottle of soda. His fizz! He seized it by the neck and started chugging the rest of the beverage down to savor its dwindling chill while it was still there, giving a refreshed sigh when he was done.

Blue Pearl chuckled and rolled her eyes in the corner of his vision, before leaning gently against the chair. “So, did you enjoy yourself at the ball?” She asked, getting his attention even more than he cared to admit. He felt nerves spark up inside him just at the mention of it. Especially because she knew that coy tone from the pearl when he heard it. “You seemed rather chatty with Milo…”

Jean felt a rush of embarrassment, even though the memories were helplessly warm and pleasant to think about. She _had_ been watching. Great. He had glanced at her for a moment, almost warning her not to comment too far on what had happened and how carried away he had gotten before clearing his throat and looking back at the screen and pretending he was doing something productive. “...Mhm.” He mumbled. How much had she seen? Did she see them cuddled up on that seat thanks to Milo? And she most likely saw the dance… And the kiss… Fuck. Why did he do that…? He was just making this worse for himself. “He- Um… It was nice.”

“You did fantastic with your footwork. I’m glad to see you remembered all those lessons I taught you.” Blue Pearl complimented, noting Jean’s dancing. He could just hear her smile while she said it too. “The dip was a nice touch, too.”

Jean covered his mouth with his palm, once again resting his face in his hand as he tried to keep himself pulled together despite the horrible embarrassment quickly building up within him. Nope. He couldn’t do it. He groaned out loud, covering his face with both his hand as he flopped backwards in his seat before ultimately sliding halfway off of it. “I don’t know what I was doing…” He grumbled, almost to his own defense.

Blue Pearl huffed indignantly. “Perhaps, and this is just a venture… You were having fun.” She suggested, leaning further against the blue seat to gaze down at Jean as he writhed off of his chair the same way he did when he was a kid when he was embarrassed or stubborn. “...You did seem happier with Milo.” She added.

The blue hybrid grumbled incoherently into his hands. She was right though… He did have fun. And for a moment, he did genuinely feel happy. Maybe it was contagious from Milo. All it took was one night for him to be completely smitten with him. “How could I not be…?” - That question had been the only thing intelligible that he uttered, causing him to freeze up immediately. Fuck - he didn’t mean to say that out loud. Maybe he hadn’t. He couldn’t tell. Just thinking about Milo was tying him up in knots and he couldn’t tell if he was even thinking straight anymore. He hoped Blue Pearl hadn’t heard it. Curiously, he ventured to peer up at her from between his fingers for her reaction to see for sure, hoping she would just look mystified because she totally didn’t hear what he said - then he would be safe. But he genuinely couldn’t tell by the look on her face. That just made things worse.

But he couldn’t think about it much longer, because the sound of his door’s chime interrupted his thoughts, and Rubin, the captain of Jean’s ruby guards, spoke up an announcement. “My Diamond! It is my honor to ask that you prepare for - “

“Jean!!!” Milo interrupted, bounding in through the door in his impatience. He couldn’t sit through one more obligatory introduction. And he was glad he did, because the moment he saw the long-haired blue hybrid sprawled on the floor his face was splitting with a fond smile. “You seem to have misplaced your throne…” He said, his voice gushing with as many pleasant affections he felt for this beautiful man he had danced with and kissed.

Jean, on the other hand, shot upright at the sound of Milo’s voice - just hearing it made his heart leap. He raked his tangled hair out of his face, although a part of him didn’t exactly think he could face the white hybrid. “M-Milo?” Was all he could reply for a moment, his heart kicking into a faster pace even after his initial surprise. He blindly moved his hand behind his back to seek out the seat of his blue throne, his gaze suddenly fixed up at Milo as he fumbled to pull himself back into the chair. “I- Uh, I was just… Sleeping…” He finally added as an improvised explanation.

“Oh!” Milo blinked once before nodding in understanding. Without further ado as Rubin took his leave, the white hybrid snaked his way to Jean’s side, squeezing between him and the chair’s right arm and already smiling just to be pressed up against him again. “Jean~ I learned some new human slang!” He said, gazing up at him before wrapping his arms around the other hybrid’s waist and leaning into him. He felt different today with the clothes he was wearing. It was fascinating to Milo. There was just something about it he loved. “Mmmmsoft-” He hummed, rubbing his cheek against the fabric of Jean’s shirt before pressing his ear up to his chest to listen to the wonderful sound of his heartbeat… He wasn’t sure if all heartbeats were supposed to be this fast, though.

Jean’s face reddened as before he could even fit in a polite ‘How are you?’, Milo had found his way to pull himself close. But he couldn’t deny how nice it felt… Like the greedy fuck he was, he wanted to eat up this attention. He kept wondering, what were they? It was very sudden, but he couldn’t stop the rush his mind was going to over and over. But… He kept having to remind himself that, much to his own disappointment, this was all probably infatuation over novelty on Milo’s part. As he had laid awake last night, he had told himself he would introduce Milo to new people. That way he would see how many options he has, and not… Well, anyway. He chuckled nervously, his hand hovering awkwardly as he wasn’t sure where to put it. He eventually let it rest on the seat, his arm tucking around Milo. “I… I…” He began, his thoughts lost in the thrill of how it felt to be hugged so affectionately by someone like Milo, before he shook his head to clear the haze. “New slang, huh…?” He asked.

Milo’s gaze had never left him. “I love you.” He stated bluntly as an answer.

Jean turned rigid, as though a bolt of energy shot through him, a strangled noise of shock squeaking in his throat. What? _What???_ Was this real? He quickly shook his head. “No, no. No. No you don’t.” He said, trying to slip himself a little further away, but they were both filling the seat as it was.

“Sure I do~” Milo practically sang, traveling along with Jean seamlessly at his feeble attempt at setting some distance. In fact, he just pulled himself a little closer, his arms locking tight around the blue hybrid as he nuzzled the spot where his head rested on his chest. From this spot, he could finally get a good look at Jean’s gem now that he was wearing different clothes and the blue gem poked out from his V-neck shirt. “Your gem is pretty.” He stated, having completely forgotten about what they were just talking about in the midst of the comfort the man’s warmth gave him.

Jean felt his stomach flip at the sound of Milo’s voice as he had sang those words, swallowing against a dry throat as he started to wonder… _Fuck. Can he sing?_ He tried to keep a stoic face through it all though, even though he felt like his insides were turning to pudding as the melodic sound of his already mesmerizing voice echoed through his thoughts. He looked down at his own gem on his chest at the compliment, blinking absent-mindedly for a moment before it registered what he had said. “O-Oh… Thanks, I guess.” He mumbled in reply, “Yours is nice too.”

Milo chuckled softly at that. “It’s also white.” He replied, not very proud of this fact.

Jean frowned slightly at Milo’s reply to his own compliment. Wait. Did he not like his gem? He felt the urge to blurt out reassurances to him that it was perfectly good - great, even. Beautiful. Brilliantly white, chiseled, highlighting his bright eyes, and… He liked it. But before he could find a way to properly filter these thoughts into words, the subject was already brought back to his own gem, and the blue hybrid felt a strange prickling chill as Milo brought an arm back so he could let his fingers graze across its cut softly. Milo rested his hand over it softly for a moment before bringing his hand to rest over his own gem on his forehead.

“It’s got such a clean smooth surface too~” Milo said. He added the blue gem to the growing list of things he found endearing about this man. “Do you polish it? Pip says you have to polish your gem at least three times a day.”

All of the extra attention on his gem was making Jean only more nervous. Now he was suddenly thinking about it more than he normally would. “Um… I used to more, but now I just sometimes polish it if I feel like it, it doesn’t really matter… I just polished it for the ball.” He said.

Milo nodded as he answered, slowly but surely melting into him as he relaxed, his excitement from before dying down into pure contentment at being close to the other hybrid again. He didn’t think he could spend a single day without it now. “It’s such a nice color…” He sighed, “I have some gem polish in my room, I could ask Pip to bring you some if you want. O- Or I could.”

Jean shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't used to someone appreciating something about him so much, it was difficult to think of any proper reaction other than to just freeze up or change the subject entirely… Especially where his gem was concerned. The blue diamond had only made Jean’s life more shitty. "You don't have to do that. I'm sure I still have polish laying around somewhere. Doesn't really matter, anyway..." He replied. Then he quickly shifted his focus back to a strangely itching concern that kept nagging at him. His gaze fell down to the gem nestled against the white hybrid’s hair in his forehead. “You know, white is a good color too.” He said, pausing to analyze the cut of the diamond, “You can see so many little details about your gem, when you get a good look at it. It’s pretty…”

“White isn’t a color.” Milo retorted, although he wasn’t one hundred percent sure on the accuracy of that statement - it made sense to him, though. “Tell me. Are there any other white gems on Homeworld? Or Earth, are there white gems on Earth?” He questioned, pushing himself away slightly so he could look Jean in the eyes. “If white is a good color, then why don’t they bother making more?”

Jean paused to think, his mind suddenly going blank as he tried to think of the gems he had seen. Why hadn't he been paying attention? _Stupid fuck._ Wait. Wait. Waitwaitwaitwai- "I think I've seen a pearl with a white gem..." He mused suddenly, pointing to his forehead to gesture where the gem lay on the pearl in question.

Milo blinked in surprise, before he lowered his hand back to rest on the other hybrid’s chest, relishing in the feeling of the fabric and the heat that came from underneath it. “...And what’s she like?” He asked.

Jean gulped at the hand on his chest, his gaze falling down to the hand for a long moment. "Well - I don't really know her very well. She was with the Crystal Gems. I wasn't really paying attention if I'm being honest..." He sighed, his mind wandering back to meeting the four gems and their pleading with him for help. It was all in a messy pool of deep blue in his mind. "She's smart, I suppose, and very close to her friends."

Milo found himself clinging to the fabric of his clothes - they were just like the clothes he himself wore. Maybe he held on so tight because he was invested in finding out more of this pearl, and Jean’s experiences on Earth - Or maybe it was just because he liked the feeling of the warm, soft cloth between his fingers. “Does the pearl… Have an owner? Or is she like Pip?”

Jean absent-mindedly found an arm slipping around Milo, enjoying being able to talk to the other hybrid more. Of course, he found him adorable and alluring and perfect, but it was also nice to have someone like him as well... Especially now that he was here just getting closer with him. "Mmmm... I don't think she's owned by anyone. The Crystal Gems are all about freedom, and being their own gem... I mean, she follows Rose Quartz around like a duckling, but that's because she's definitely into her." He mused, rolling his eyes and exhaling out of his nose in dry amusement at that last part.

“So she is like Pip.” Milo mused, frowning in thought. He slipped an arm around Jean to cuddle in closer, gazing up at him to notice how different he was from him, and how different he was from the gems. Looking for a reason to keep him talking, he questioned, “Does that pearl have a crack too?”

Jean stared at Milo distractedly for a moment, mesmerized by his bright eyes. He was suddenly considering all these details he had never really given two shits about before until the other hybrid was asking them. Now he suddenly needed to have the answers to these questions, all for him. His curiosity was making him search his memory closely, wanting to keep revelling in this wonderful attention. At least for the time being… And as long as he didn’t get too attached. That way, when Milo met new people and his interest in Jean as a novelty had passed, it… wouldn’t be too disappointing. He stuttered over his words when he finally began to speak at first, struggling to form words as he felt Milo brush his hand along his chest. “N-No, she… She, um… Not… Fuck. Sorry. She’s not cracked, is what I was going to say.” He said, “They... Did tell me they could heal cracked gems, although I don't know why it doesn't work on corruptions. They have this fountain or something that can heal gem injuries. I don't know."

“Yellow told me that corruptions can only be healed by all four of the diamonds.” Milo thought out loud before he frowned. Wait… They needed four diamonds. “B-But we only have three - How are we going to heal those corrupted gems? I promised I’d help, but what use is that when we only have three of us?” He asked, partly to Jean but also towards himself. He needed to think - and he had a new place where he was able to think the best. He huffed and buried his face against the blue hybrid, grumbling incoherently into him about all of it.

Jean was just as concerned the moment Milo brought up the issue of three diamonds - his brow furrowing. Hold the fuck up. Rose had told him they just needed Yellow and White. _Was this all for nothing?!_ But then Milo buried his face in his chest and... Well. It hadn't been entirely for nothing in any case. To think... He would have gone back home without meeting the white hybrid. That was something he strangely hated to think about now.

Milo suddenly processed what Jean had said about something on Earth that healed gems. That was something they could talk about that wouldn’t be so confusing to think about. He lifted his face out from his warm, perfectly human refuge just enough to speak. “Wait... So you’re saying a ‘foun-ten’ can heal Pip?” He asked.

"Well - It should heal her, if the Crystal Gems are right about it. I haven't exactly seen it for myself, but they were right about the Cluster, and... I guess they were right to have me come here." Jean admitted with a faint blush.

“...Well, that’s something.” Milo decided out loud, smiling back up at Jean before he pulled himself in to hug him tight, closing his eyes so he could relish just how… warm he was. It was definitely one of his favorite things now. Blindly, his hand wandered back to laying against his chest. His eyes flickered back open so he could watch it slide slowly along his form, up his neck, and then up to cup the side of his face and rest there, where his gaze could wander from where his hand was touching him to the face that he couldn’t stop thinking about. His fingers slipped further along just slightly into his long hair. The feeling it gave him… It was just like the feeling he had gotten during the Ball, right before Jean had pressed their faces together.

Jean froze up at Milo’s utterly tantalizing touch, another high-pitched, strangled noise coming from his throat. Some strongly drowned out voice of logic in his mind was yelling at him to do something, take the other hybrid’s hand away from his chest - and then it was sliding up his neck, oh god - and… Shivers ran up his spine when his hand finally came to rest on his cheek, and he had no other option but to stare into the silvery eyes that were watching his face with so much awe, it was enough to make Jean’s knees weak. _No. No. Fuck. Do something, don’t just -_ “Wh-What, uh… What… Whatareyoudoing?” He managed to splutter out when he regained the use of his vocal chords.

\- It was as if there was a record scratch inside of Milo’s mind. Before, he had been feeling like he was gliding through a pleasant dream, but then got thrust back into reality at Jean’s question. He froze up, himself. “I - ” He tried to speak, but his own words were getting caught in his throat, looking between his hand and the other hybrid’s face. Then, with absolutely no shame, Milo slowly slid his hand back down the same way it came to his shirt, where he then quickly snaked his arms around his waist, staring up into the widened blue eyes as he grinned up at him. “You- You feel~” He began blissfully as though his own momentary panic had never occurred… He didn’t even finish that thought, his gaze turning away as another thought came to him. “S-So… Who is Rose Quartz?” He asked, a blush creeping up on his face. He hoped Jean would follow along with the subject change.

Jean blushed horribly at Milo’s unfinished sentence, and the sudden subject change felt like whiplash compared to the dizzying thrill of a ride he had been taking him on. God… He was going to be the death of him at this rate. His thoughts were still stuck on how it felt when his fingers had just started to slide into his hair, his throat going dry when he found himself longing for the white hybrid to thread his finger into the locks more, but _KEEP IT TOGETHER, JEAN_. “LeaderoftheCrystalGems!” He blurted out, before he shut his eyes and gave his head a shake, hoping it would serve as a reboot for his dizzied mind. “I mean… She’s the quartz soldier that started and led the gem rebellion on Earth.”

“I -” Rebellion on Earth? It sounded familiar to Milo, but he couldn’t recall where he had heard it before… “What’s she like?” He asked, looking up at Jean and trying to meet his gaze.

Jean leaned his head on the back of his chair, once again having to think about something he had never even thought about before. “Well, she’s a leader, so you know, she's got this like, authoritative feel about her... But she's actually really soft spoken, and pretty clueless about Earth for having lived on it for so long. She's always talking about the things she loves about it, and... Honestly she doesn't seem like the war-leader type, but it was a long time ago. Maybe she’s calmed down since then." He reflected.

As Jean spoke, Milo slowly lifted his legs over Jean’s to slide onto his lap slightly, constantly checking to see if he noticed, before he had comfortably found his place closer to where he wanted to be.

Jean’s eyes darted down to assess the sudden change in position, with the white hybrid resting his legs in his lap. He felt like he probably should discourage that much closeness like he had managed to do the night before, but that really would make him a hypocrite. He was the one who had kissed Milo when they danced. And undeniably… He had thought about wanting to do it again. A lot. And it wasn’t like he didn’t enjoy the shift even closer, he absolutely did. It was pure heaven being clung to like this by someone so absolutely wonderful.

“We, uh-” Milo began, searching his mind desperately for a subject to play off of, he brought his hand back to cling onto the other hybrid’s jacket so he could adjust even more comfortably into his new position. “There’s been stories. Legends, really... of a pink gem, said to be the leader of a rebellion. L- Like you said. But in most of these stories it was said that she shattered a diamond. And for the longest time I thought the diamond she shattered was, well... You, but here you are... warm... inviting... Wonderful...” He trailed off.

All the while, Jean shifted slightly, his gaze turning away as it felt like his face had caught in flames. The way Milo described him… infatuations really were blind, weren’t they? But before he could protest such a positive view of him, Milo was speaking again.

“I guess that means that the diamond she shattered was Pink… I suppose that makes sense though, you know? If you really want to shatter a diamond, go for the one who’s the most vulnerable.” Milo frowned. Just talking about shattering sent a wave of unease through the hybrid. He snuggled up closer to Jean to comfort himself - maybe there was a reason Yellow never told him about these things directly...

Jean had begun to frown with an unsettled squirm in his seat to get a more comfortable position. Thinking of shattering wasn’t pleasant for him, either. But he was even more concerned over Milo’s reaction. _Great. Good job. Now he’s upset…_ “Shit, I, uh… Didn’t know about the shattering part…” He mumbled guiltily, looking away. “I guess I never thought about it that much before…”

Milo huffed, not wanting to linger on the thought for any longer. He pressed his cheek against the fabric of the blue hybrid’s shirt, looking off in nowhere in particular. “They’re just stories…” He said, releasing his hold on Jean’s jacket so he could tap his fingers on his chest, something he had fascinated himself with the feeling of more and more. “...What’s Earth like?” He asked.

Jean felt his heart sink a little. It really made him uneasy to see Milo like this, and by impulse he let his arms slide to wrap around him and pull him closer. It felt so wonderfully natural, although his desire to comfort the shorter man was quite possibly just an excuse to hold him. "It's like a lot of things. It's really green... Well, naturally, it is. A lot of plants and animals. Tons and tons of water. If you live by the ocean it goes as far as the eye can see. But where humans live, it's sort of like the buildings here on Homeworld. But... Humans aren't born for any predetermined purpose, it's kind of up to them what they want to do." He reflected, his fingers gently brushing against the fabric of Milo's hoodie.

Milo listened intently, his frown remaining on his face until he nuzzled his face into his chest. Even then, he was still heavy with the thought of the missing diamond from the four murals. “It sounds nice…” He hummed quietly, just loud enough for the other hybrid to hear.

“Mmmmhm…” Jean replied softly, gazing down fondly at the top of Milo’s head now that he could get away with it without those wonderful eyes catching him, a helpless smile melting on his face at the way the white hybrid nuzzled against him. It got him thinking… It wouldn’t hurt to… You know, since it might comfort and cheer him up… His hand ventured to rest on the back of Milo’s head, his fingers threading into and caressing into his soft hair. "I could show you around Earth, you know... I think you'd like it a lot there. There's a lot of people." He said.

The hand in Milo’s hair had exactly the intended effect, as another wide smile grew and he pulled himself closer to melt into an impossibly tight embrace around the blue hybrid. He had barely caught Jean mentioning ‘a lot of people’, he was too focused on the moment, and the thought of visiting the other hybrid’s home planet just with him. Milo loved how he made him feel. He smiled adoringly up at Jean, all the while leaning his head into the arm who’s hand was resting in his hair. Was everyone on Earth like this man? Somehow, he doubted it. If they were, this Jean had to be the best one. But the thought of it was intriguing. He slowly closed his eyes, relishing in the wonderful feeling Jean had given him just by holding him. As much as he loved hugging himself to him, being held back made it a billion times more amazing. Running on just that feeling alone, he let his mind wander to a new daydream, the gem on his forehead flickering brighter with light as it began to project the images of his imagination.

If Jean looked behind him, he would have seen the hologram of the white hybrid’s fantasy: Milo, surrounded by too many Jeans to count, each one more unrealistically dashing than the next. But the one in the middle - the one with the top of a blue diamond poking out from the collar of his shirt on his chest - was the one who was holding him close.

However, Jean didn’t see what the gem was projecting. He was in awe of the way that just one simple gesture was enough to turn Milo into putty in his arms. God, he was too adorable… How could someone not fall in love with the way he had been looking just at Jean before he closed his eyes? He was going to make someone so lucky one day… He sighed softly at that thought, taking in every close detail of Milo’s face while he was lucky enough to have it there, his gaze stopping to marvel at the way light danced through the facets of his gem. With it glowing like this, one could admire every subtle detail of the stunning diamond. After a long, practically breathless moment, he mumbled quietly, “Milo… Your gem… glows…”

Milo’s eyes blinked open, a small blush covering his face as he cautiously peeked around Jean, seeing the projection dissipate before looking back up at the other hybrid. “Y-Yeah?” He said. He didn’t see what the big deal was. Of course his gem glowed sometimes. His eyes flickered between the blue pools that were Jean’s eyes and down to the gem in his chest. He still preferred Jean’s.

Jean nodded, offering a faint genuine smile to him. “It’s…” _Stunning? Beautiful? Mesmerizing? Perfect, like the rest of him?_ “It’s very nice.” He said, instead of the many much more endeared words that were running through his mind. He internally winced at the lame answer the moment they left his mouth.

Milo chuckled softly, a blush still coloring his cheeks. He brought his hand back over Jean’s gem, where he could let his thumb rhythmically slide along its smooth surface. He felt Jean shiver slightly under his touch. “Mmmmm, I still think this one is better.” He said fondly, “And it’s such a pretty color…”

Jean felt strangely pleasant prickles along his skin as Milo caressed his gem. He wanted to look away, embarrassed by so much attention being put on it, but he was locked into staring down at him like it was magnetism. He huffed, trying to release the growing feeling of nervous excitement it was all giving him. “It- It’s just blue.”

“Blue’s a much better color than white will ever be.” Milo insisted, puffing his cheeks out as he eyed what he thought to be the best gem he had ever even seen. Then something clicked, the gem on his forehead flashing briefly as though it was signifying the way his idea had struck his mind. Milo didn’t care how he would react, he wanted to get his point across. With swift, slippery movements, he maneuvered himself further onto Jean’s lap so that he was facing him. He crossed his legs around his waist and effectively locked them into place, stubbornly securing his spot exactly where he wanted to be, all the while shooting the other hybrid a determined look. He slid his arms up to clutch at the man’s shoulders, pulling himself closer than he ever had before as he eyed his target - the sparkling blue gem was almost perfectly placed in a conveniently easy-to-access spot. He closed his eyes as he began to lean in towards it, his head tilting by instinct to meet it with his lips dead on.

Jean had been ready to give a retort in protest, but his words died in his shock when Milo fiercely claimed an even more intimate position on his lap. His mind had completely shut down at his actions, his face bright red - wait - _waitwaitwaitWAIT_ what was he doing? Why was he looking at him like that? But he was utterly frozen, his eyes widened in alarm. The little voices inside his head scrambled around trying to think of a decisive course of action - something. Anything. But that said headspace was completely in flames. And then it all came crashing to a halt once his brain was operating again. He can’t let Milo do this. Fuck. He panicked as he saw Milo’s face tilt towards his exposed gem. He didn’t need to do this to someone like Jean, the ultimate trash fire of a human being. More importantly, no one as amazing as Milo should ever feel less than something like him. He was literally shit. And Milo especially shouldn’t feel bad about his gem of all things. At that thought, Jean impulsively lunged forward, less-than-gracefully mashing his lips against the white gem on Milo’s forehead. At the same time, Milo’s lips had landed on his own gem.

Suddenly Jean felt a bolt of something, a buzz of pure warmth and delight shivering through his entire form, all coming from the core source of his gem. He nearly shouted in surprise, and over how amazing it felt. He suppressed his voice, but he couldn’t stop the breathless gasp that escaped him from it all, separating his lips from the gem on Milo’s forehead.

Milo, all the while, was taken by complete surprise when Jean kissed his gem at the same time, the same wonderful feeling shocking through him. Every inch of the shorter man shook with delight before he completely melted, the only thing keeping him up was leaning into Jean and holding himself closer against the equally shivering man. But he didn’t let it stop there. Fueled by the giddiness that was unlike anything he had ever known, Milo lunged in for another kiss to his blue gem, and then another. And then he made it three kisses, the first two frantic, clumsy kisses capped off by a final, longer kiss to the blue gem, drawing his lips across the smooth surface. Then he finally deflated, looking up at Jean with pure triumph and bliss. Surely he had gotten his point across.

And get his point across he did. Even in his clouded, giddy mind over the delight the gem kiss had given him, Jean was content with his own point being laid down - even more satisfied as he started to pull himself together. But just as he had recovered, Milo was kissing his gem again - and again - and… Oh god, oh god. As much as just one kiss had been enough to melt him, three more kisses had sent Jean utterly reeling, his hold on Milo deadlocking fiercely tight as he shook with every jolt and wave of pure perfection ran its course, silencing any thought he had except for _‘Milo Milo Milo Milo’._

“M-Milo! F- Fuck…!” He gasped, hardly able to breathe as he leaned practically like putty into the man he was holding, his hands clutching the fabric of his hoodie desperately. _‘Kiss me again. Please. Kiss me again.’_

Milo couldn’t help but grin as Jean’s embrace strengthened around him. He felt so… happy. The way he held him so tight, and then the way he leaned into him back now, it felt like… he was wanted. And while he wasn’t getting any more kisses to his gem, it almost felt like that same buzzing feeling was back and humming through him. He shivered softly at the pleasant feeling, his arms slipping to wrap around the other hybrid’s neck, nuzzling his face into him, his lips barely brushing against the skin there in the process.

Jean grinned dizzily, his insides feeling like they had melted and were swirling in pure joy and bliss, it was so… so… He couldn’t think of words right now. Only one name, and it was echoing constantly through all of his blurred thoughts. But just when he thought the series of excitement was over, he was tilting his head back without even thinking about it when Milo nuzzled into his neck, and yet another pleasant shiver hit him with the sensation of soft lips grazing his neck. Oh god, he… he... Milo. _Milo Milo Milo Milo-_ Suddenly Jean pulled Milo back so he could look at him, his eyes raking across every adorable feature on his face before settling on what everything in him thoughtlessly wanted. His hands climbed their way up to the white hybrid’s face, cupping it on either side as he drew his own face closer, inhaling shakily before breathing out, “Y… Y-You… You…”

Milo blinked, slightly bewildered for a moment before he was completely drawn along onto the train that Jean was taking them down, his gaze fixated on the man that was steadily drawing closer still. Absently, he felt one of his hands slide into Jean’s hair, combing through it until it found a place at the back of his head. He pulled himself even closer to him in harmony with him, biting his lip as they were closely face to face. He was lost in staring at the seas that were Jean’s in wonder. There was only one thing on his mind at the moment, and it was powering the increasing warmth inside of him. “Jean…” He whispered with a certain fondness, before he unconsciously licked his lips in some kind of… anticipation. He closed his eyes, feeling the other hybrid’s breath against him. Following his instinct, he tilted his head, resting his face against one of the hands that so tenderly held his face, nuzzling against the hold as his lips parted slightly.

Jean closed the gap between them slowly, before with a tilt of his head he was pressing his lips deeply against the other hybrid’s for one long, euphoric moment. He sighed contentedly in it, having melted at the feeling of Milo’s hand in his hair. It was like he finally satisfied a growing itch, and he didn’t think he would rather be anywhere else… But then suddenly through the wave of calm the kiss gave him, the voice of his own logic had regained itself and it suddenly brought him to a screeching halt when he realized _FUCK_ \- he had promised himself he wouldn’t do this to himself. He promised himself he wouldn’t use Milo like this for his own selfishness.

He forced himself to drag his lips away, although not without tilting his head back to brush their lips back together again one more time as though to savor the experience… Then he sighed. “Sh-Shit, I shouldn’t have- I’m sorry, I-” He slurred, frowning faintly in apology. He couldn’t even remember - did Milo say he could kiss him? He had gotten so carried away, he hadn’t even been thinking.

It took a while for Milo to flutter his eyes back open. He had hoped it would continue on forever, and needless to say, he was disappointed, whining in slight protest and begrudging acceptance. He slid his hands out of Jean’s hair and wrapped them back around his neck, pressing himself back into him with a few more grumbles. But as much as he wanted to get it to happen again, he wasn’t going to force it. Instead, he suddenly just smiled, burying his face into the other hybrid’s shoulder. “Why you gotta do this to me, Jean?~” He chuckled, his voice singing with a hint of playfulness.

Jean already wished he hadn’t pulled away… If Milo’s whining was any indicator, he seemed to like it just as much… _Shut up, of course he liked it, this is all new to him._ His hands shifted back to hug the white hybrid’s torso, although he shifted guiltily at Milo’s reply. As much as he had meant it affectionately, it spoke something completely different to Jean, and only reminded him of his very loud voice of self deprecation telling him he was taking advantage Milo and his own innocent puppy love for just another human. He was a greedy fuck, wasn’t he? Eating up the attention of someone who had never known love, because no one else would look at him this way.

He teared up slightly at that, fear creeping into where only adoration had been just a minute ago. It felt so right to hold him, and to kiss him, but what if this was all wrong? He was going to show him other humans to make sure he wasn’t manipulating him into this, sure, but here he was hardly able to keep himself from smothering him while they were the only two humans around. “I’m sorry…” He sighed. Even with the heaviness weighing on his shoulders, his heart hammered from the leftover thrill of it all.

However, this just caused Milo to giggle more, fondness seeping into the already sing-song tone of it all. “Sorry? For what?” He hummed in bliss. While the moment hadn’t lasted long, the feeling it gave him was still there, and he would be happy if he could keep it for the rest of time. “If anyone should be sorry, it’s me~” He reasoned, practically bursting with cheer at a contrast to the anxious man he was holding, “I wish we could do it again… But I think I’ve distracted you from your work long enough.” At that, Milo’s giggles turned into a full blown laugh, growing slightly more serious once he had managed to get himself to calm down, all the while caressing his thumbs against his jacket. “I’m sincerely sorry about that.”

Jean frowned in protest, feeling the fierce urge to do anything he could just to keep Milo happy. He couldn’t help it. Holding him was so amazing, and so warm. His laugh was like music, and his smile made his stomach flutter. He hugged him against his chest, tucking his chin over the top of his head. “N-No...! Fuck, don’t be sorry… I really, really enjoy your company…” He admitted in a quiet rumble.

He reflected on what he expected would be not too far away when he would take Milo to Earth, show him around, help the Crystal Gems, and then watch him drift away. He swallowed, uncomfortable at how immediately that thought gave him such a strong sense of protest, sadness, and vague jealousy. His jaw set as he thought, and once again he felt his emotions overpowering his better nature. So he was a greedy fuck... But he was making Milo happy for the moment. Was that so wrong? _Don’t do it. Don’t._

“...You really want to kiss more?” He asked, already internally kicking himself for saying it, but there was a good amount of him that was still undeniably eager for an answer.

Milo gasped, excitement buzzing through him immediately at the offer. “YES!” He nearly shouted, clutching at Jean’s jacket and leaning back supported by his hold. “I- I mean y- yes, yeah, I uh - If you want to.” He said, trying to at least look like he had restraint and hide the smile that he couldn’t help but show. His eyes scanned every inch of Jean’s face. He looked so stunning. He always did. Milo let go of his jacket with one hand so he could lay it on his chest, once again letting it slowly slide along his chest, going even slower once he got to the warm skin of Jean’s neck so he could savor the feeling once again, until his hand climbed inch by inch up to its resting spot, cupping one side of his face. He loved the way Jean looked back at him while he did it now - like he wanted him just as much as he did. He always felt so warm, and new, and… him. All him. No one else could feel like Jean. “You feel… you.” He said, smiling as he finally finished the thought he had trailed off from earlier.

Jean blushed at his words and the feeling of his hand traveling up towards his face. As much as he knew that Milo couldn’t know for sure if he felt exactly the same way, the lovesick part of the blue hybrid was still overjoyed at every minute of this. Milo liked the feeling of him just as much as he liked the feeling of him. “Alright…” He said, his hands burying themselves into the white hybrid’s hair, “Just one more…” He added in a mumble, mostly to himself before he leaned in before quickly diving back in to kissing him, determined to make it count.

Milo’s hand slipped back into the hair, all the while his other hand pulled himself closer to mold himself against Jean before he slung his arm over his shoulder. He responded to the kiss quicker himself, slowly getting more and more used to kissing. He smiled against the other hybrid’s lips when he heard a hum of satisfaction come from him as their lips met frantically over and over, the frequency of the contact only speeding up. Jean was helpless for how wonderfully relaxing it felt for how Milo combed his fingers through his hair, his fingertips grazing his scalp and sending only more shivers down his spine on top of the way kissing him made him feel. It drove the blue hybrid to deepen the kiss, pressing his lips into Milo’s to move them against each other and refusing to part as he pressed closer and closer. He was so soft to the touch - his skin, his hair, and _god_ , those lips. He just wanted more and more. He was perfect to hold, delicate and yet just as strong at the same time.  
Milo had completely forgotten about the outside world as Jean overwhelmed his senses, sighing as the blue hybrid deepened the kiss. Both his hands tangled further into his hair just to hold him in this place, not wanting this to stop like the first kiss had. He combed his fingers through his hair in soft, rhythmic strokes. He loved the feeling of him. In everything. He wanted to be simply surrounded with Jean - this feeling.   
Milo's fingers in his hair In turn it felt like it drove Jean only to pour more into their kisses, both hybrids delighting in the sparks that fired through them at each other's fervent kisses. Jean could once again feel his worries wash away in nothing but contentment, relaxation, and perfect bliss. There was no anxious thought that stood a chance against this in Jean’s mind. Just him and Milo. Milo and him. He -

...And then there was the sound of a throat clearing, and the voice of Blue Pearl cut in through their little world alone with each other. "I'm sorry to interrupt but Yellow Diamond requests a report on all of your colonies Jean."

Jean’s heart nearly stopped when he registered the voice of the pearl through his haze of ‘ _Milo Milo Milo Milo~’_ , his eyes snapping wide open. And then the thoughts were coming back. _FUCK- SHIT- SHE WAS THERE!_ As much as he didn’t want to, Jean quickly pulled away with a soft smack and he tried to untangle himself as quickly as possible while still being as gentle as he could about it.

“Naaaawwwwwwwwwwwwww~” Milo whined, having followed his movements and briefly tried to bring his face in closer again - he was unwilling to let it end there, but then he knew he should accept it enough to not go at it all over again… At least for now. He uncrossed his legs from around Jean and slid his hands out of his hair, still making a point to keep contact though as he rested his head and hands over Jean’s chest while he looked at the pearl too, blowing a little raspberry to voice his disappointment at the interruption.

“P-PEARL!!” Jean exclaimed, his voice pitching uncharacteristically high to match with his impossibly red face. “W- WH- What did you, um… W-What was that again?” He asked, trying to play off the fact that the only thing he had processed was the very distant sound of her voice cutting through a dreamy pool of thrills and affection.

“Yellow Diamond has requested a report on all of your colonies." Blue Pearl repeated, giggling quietly to herself at Milo’s reaction. Jean groaned, rubbing his face as he tried to clear his head. He suddenly saw there was a ruby there too.

"Oh my god..." He complained out loud, "You weren't there for... No. Nope. I don't want to know. Thank you, Pearl..." He huffed, rubbing one of his temples, "I'll work on that now..."

Milo stared up at Jean for a moment, before he chuckled softly, his hands snaking up to grab the blue hybrid’s face one more time to pull it down and nuzzle their faces together, reveling in the contact for one more moment. Then he slipped himself off of Jean’s lap. Maybe he would return back to his own room for some rest - but before that, he leaned back down towards the blue hybrid to place a kiss just above his jaw. Then he was slipping out the door, pausing to beam at him and make a heart with his hands. “Bye Jean~ I love you~!” He called. A ‘see you tomorrow’ wasn’t necessary. It was a given for him.

Despite how much he had kissed Milo, Jean was still stunned by the gesture, perhaps because he had been the one to initiate it. Before he could say anything through his state, the white hybrid had already left, and it was back to work for the tall man.

With Milo gone, the ruby wearing funky glasses that had been standing by Blue Pearl’s side stepped forward and formed a salute. “My Diamond! Our fearless leader got stuck with a pearl in an air duct. Ruby told me the whole thing. And Ruby. But she just disappeared and we can’t find her anymore.”

Jean’s expression slowly turned back to more of his usual focus as the ruby reported to him, the lovestruck glaze fading away into his usual tired expression, and then turning into an eye roll as he started working on the reports Yellow had requested. "Fucking- Just try to get them out for like twenty minutes, ask an amethyst or rose quartz for help if you need to... Then I'll come and help." He grumbled.

The ruby nodded quickly. “Uh- Yes, my Diamond!” She replied, before hurrying off to follow his orders.

Jean huffed, wishing he didn't have to be embarrassed to high heaven by not only Pearl, but other gems as well. And then it was back to work he went, grumbling quietly to himself and shooting a frown to Blue Pearl as though silently telling her not to say a word about what had happened.

...And then it all came crashing back to him, as though the dreamy alternate universe he was in was taken right along with Milo. Great. Why did he have to kiss the white hybrid? Why did Milo have to be so wonderfully tempting for him to never _stop_ kissing him? He knew better. He did. And he swore he would stop himself from entertaining it so he wouldn't end up lost in an atmosphere of blue.

And yet... While just outside of Jean's room, Milo had his back pressed against the wall right next to the door, a dreamy grin on his face while he sighed happily - Jean's mind was on Milo's bright smile, the cautiously hopeful thoughts peeking through a tangle of fearful, hurt thoughts like a ray of sunshine through stormy weather.

And the words he had said to him echoed softly around through the other noise. A faint smile curved his lips as he let it grow louder in his mind.

_"I love you."_


End file.
